epifani 2-12 older or Acme 2-10 II

I was thinking of getting either of these cabe to use as a stand alone cab and as an add on to 2-15 Bag End cabs. I would be using a SWR Sm-900 to push or a WT-400. R bass 5, Fender J 4, Alembic Stanley, and upright.

Another vote for the Epi 2x12, you can probably find a used one for $700 or less.

I have the older model with the side-by-side drivers (newer ones are diagonal). I'm using an Ashdown ABM 300 head, and this rig sounds great.

It's the best single cabinet I've played through.

Before this I had a Bergantino 3x10, and also had a pair of Acme B2's. My full Mesa rig (M-2000 head, Road Ready 4x10 and 1x15) had more overall power and excellent sound, but was just way too heavy to haul around.

I'm 100% happy with my current setup, and haven't even looked at other amps or cabinets in several months.

I'll jump on the bandwagon and say go with the Epifani. The Acme sounds great solo or ina quiet setting, but with the WT400 you won't get enough volume to play with anything except acoustic instruments (in my experience), and even with the SM900 you'll have to crank it pretty much if you expect to play with a drummer.

OTOH, the Epi 2x12 is bigger and heavier, but it's still not like hauling a 4x10. It's a little less smooth sounding than the Acme, but it's loads louder--I can run my 2x12 as a standalone in pretty much any setting including hard rock (though I do sometimes bring a pair of them for outdoor gigs), and have even gigged with the 1x12 in a blues/country setting with no problem.

Yeah I thought that was weird also about the acme ltd. thing recommending epifani. Well I can not get the guy to commit to the sell now! I have about had it. I have offered plenty and the guy does not want to put out any effort to sell or ship the thing at all. He acts like I am a burden upon him?

OK guys, I can not get the epifani. The guy will not sell it to me. What about two acme series II 2-10 cabs? Is this going to be better than my Bag End 15 cabs? I will be pushing them with a SWR SM-900. What I am missing is some ping of a modern cab because my Bag Ends do not have a tweeter. I just do not want the acme cab to sound brittle and harsh like a car stereo tweeter. Would the two acme 2-10 together or the new Eden 2-10 XMT, I forgot what it is called, sound better?

The Acmes would not sound brittle or harsh--if anything, I found them a bit on the dark side compared to the tweeter-equipped cabs I was used to. However, there's still the lack of volume to deal with--the Acmes won't be as loud as your Bagends.

Lots of folks really like the Eden XST cabs--they apparently fall somewhere between the more aggressive XLTs and the Acmes--but I've never played them myself, and I don't know how they compare in price.

I'm currently using a pair of B2s. TWO will definately stand alone (if you have 500-800W for each cab). ONE may not. I bought the first Acme, hoping to use it as a "sub" under my EAVL210, replacing my megaton Peavey 115TNT. The single Acme sounded good but there was a considerable volume difference in favor of the EA. Not a good cab pairing, IMO.

So I bought a second Acme. A pair is more expensive than a B4, but with the pair of B2s you get an "extra" midrange speaker, which brightens it up a little.

I'm satisfied with the sound and portability of two LowB2s. I miss the EAVL210B/TNT115 sound, but not the extra 65 lbs. I can always bring the two Acmes AND the EA if I need to.

Originally posted by rockindoc I'm currently using a pair of B2s. TWO will definately stand alone (if you have 500-800W for each cab). ONE may not...

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And that, unfortunately, is the problem--he's got an SWR SM900, which is going to put out a maximum of about 400 watts per cab. With 1200 watts running into my B4 (equivalent to a pair of B2's and 600 watts each), I got enough volume for the modern rock/alternative band, but it still wasn't amazingly loud (not loud enough for my current hard rock/prog band, for instance). For moderate volume settings, though, a B4 or a pair of B2s can work fine--provided you've got at least 500-600 watts or so per cab.

Well I would be using the SWR bridged into 4 ohms running into both cabs. I play R&B, Funk, Jazz, Light Rock n Roll. I will be using a Jazz, R bass 5 and upright through them. Maybe I should search a little more?

they lack a tweeter, so you're not gonna get any of those hissy highs. but the midrange tweeter does afford you, both a high and mids attenuator for good measure.

also, keep in mind that due to its flat response, the Acme's need MUCHO MAS more EQ'ing than your average bass cab. dont be afraid to pour on the highs, mids, bass, whathaveyou, to properly cut thru the mix. the Acme'll just give back to you more goodness that your SWR and bass are capable of.

as for loudness issues, unless you're up against a few obnoxious guitarists, i doubt the Acme's will give you a problem. IMHO, a pair of the Acmes with the SWR should be great for your app.

besides, even if it didnt work out, remember that Andy gives you 2 weeks to try 'em out. sure, you might be out shipping, but i think its worth a little to find your tone.

Originally posted by jokerjkny
i think the Acme's would be great for you.

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Ditto.

Originally posted by jokerjkny
they lack a tweeter, so you're not gonna get any of those hissy highs. but the midrange tweeter does afford you, both a high and mids attenuator for good measure.

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They do have a tweeter - it's a ferrofluid cooled fabric dome tweeter in a shallow horn. It sounds really smooth and honest - in comparison compression horn tweeters all exhibit much more distortion which is why they often sound harsh.

Originally posted by jokerjkny
also, keep in mind that due to its flat response, the Acme's need MUCHO MAS more EQ'ing than your average bass cab. dont be afraid to pour on the highs, mids, bass, whathaveyou, to properly cut thru the mix. the Acme'll just give back to you more goodness that your SWR and bass are capable of.

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I use an SWR GP preamp and '87 Warwick Streamer. The only EQ I use is to turn the Aural Enhance up to 10 o'clock. I've found that the key to cutting through is to leave the mid and high drivers at max, i.e. not turn the attenuators down. If you're up against very loud thick guitars, then you may need to EQ things a bit more.

Originally posted by jokerjkny
as for loudness issues, unless you're up against a few obnoxious guitarists, i doubt the Acme's will give you a problem. IMHO, a pair of the Acmes with the SWR should be great for your app.

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Indeed. Two Low-B2II's are much louder than one on its lonesome. Stack them vertically and they really project and sound incredibly tight. I used to use my Acmes with a Mackie M1400 poweramp putting 400-500W into each cab and could keep up with a very very loud drummer. I'm now getting a QSC PLX because I'm sick of the Mackie weighing so much.